Monday, December 24, 2007

twenty-one & i'm not talking about the drinking age

just last weekend i ran 17 miles - the longest run of my life. this morning i ran 21. only 5.2 miles more & i can claim i've run a marathon. i love 3-day weekends. plenty of time to workout & spend some good time with the person you love. when we aren't working out & spending hundreds of dollars at whole foods & central market we are at home discussing the new year, sprucing up the place, keeping each other warm at night, & recovering from our long bike rides & runs.

it turned out to be another gorgeous day here in austin. we are just a day away from christmas & the sun was shining & the temperature was again in the 60s this afternoon. don't get me wrong, it was cold this morning - freezing in fact. when i hit the trail this morning it was 35 degrees out. i was sporting my new tights & they worked well. i ran the first 7 miles with ed, noah, & ed's sister who was in town for the holidays from NY. i said my goodbyes & ran two more 7 miles with nothing but my thoughts & tired legs to keep me company. miles 7 - 14 were so easy for me. 16 - 18 were utterly painful & the last three were only a bit better because i knew i would be done soon. i wasn't winded by any means & i had plenty of energy, it was the pain in my legs that was making it tough. i'm just now acclimating myself to these long runs (14 a few weeks ago, then 17 last weekend, & now 21). i probably should be increasing the distance over more time - i just prefer to get out there & DO IT sometimes. at one point i actually thought i may be injuring myself, however, i've been on my feet most of the afternoon & i'm not feeling all that sore or any type of real pain.

tomorrow morning kristin & i are going to bundle up & walk town lake together. kristin has lived in austin for 26+ years & i've been here for 6+ years now & neither of us have actually slowed down & walked the 3-mile loop. i've run it countless times for sure, but walking - never. tomorrow we are going to slow down & walk it. i'm planning on making sweet potato waffles in the morning for the two of us. i've been eating all day today & i just can't get full. according to kristin, you burn 125 calories per mile. if that's true, i burned (125 * 21) 2625 calories this morning.